Great Adventures Around the World

Christmas is coming and as the old song goes…”It is the most wonderful time of the year!” Have you planned a Christmas adventure for your family yet? Not only will you be making memories…you will get your family into the Christmas spirit and get that magical Christmas feeling pumping through their veins! Visiting New York City is a great adventure in itself….but the Big Apple really comes alive at Christmas and around every corner awaits a new adventure!

Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular is simply amazing! A time honored tradition that has been entertaining families from around the world for over 75 years!  The world famous Rockettes are the main attraction in this fun filled Christmas production. During the Christmas season, the Rockettes perform in five shows a day, seven days a week. They also perform at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and at the Rockefeller Center Tree-Lighting Ceremony. The Rockettes are famous for their complicated tap routines and eye-high kicks!

The Rockettes aren’t the only famous attraction you will see during the Christmas Spectacular. Santa Claus flies high above the crowd thrilling the old and young alike! There is also a live nativity that is simply beautiful and truly reminds us of the real meaning of Christmas. This show is a one of a kind tradition that has been enjoyed over the years by millions of people.

Radio City Music Hall is located in the heart of Rockefeller Center at: 1260 6^th Avenue (Avenue of the Americas), New York, New York 10020. Tickets to the Christmas Spectacular are sold at the box office or can be purchased through TicketMaster. The tickets cost between $10 and $18. After the show, you can begin your next great adventure by going ice skating at the Rockefeller Center Outdoor Ice Rink. Or, if you wish, you can grab a cup of hot chocolate, sit on a bench and just take in the sights and sounds of New York City! Here’s to a very merry adventure! Stay tuned. There are more holiday adventures to come!

Are you ready to get lost in the largest corn maze in the world and enjoy a fall adventure? If so, then head to Benson Farms located in Denton, Nebraska.  The corn maze, which by the way, is on 42.6 acres is simply amazing (no pun intended) and can definitely be listed in the great adventure category!  This is, after all, advertised as the largest corn maze in the United States! Once you enter this gigantic maze, be prepared to spend at least one hour (if not more) trying to find your way out! For those of you that enjoy being scared, you must visit the maze after dark on designated Fright Nights.  Personally, running through a corn maze at midnight as ugly creatures chase me isn’t too appealing; however, Fright Night is very popular and always crowded (be prepared to stand in line for at least 30 minutes, sometimes longer!).   Fright Night is recommended for children 12 and up and of course, parental guidance is suggested.

There are several rules that must be followed when trying to navigate your way through the maze. You must always stay on the designated pathways. Cutting through the cornstalks would be cheating and would also hurt the corn (and you, as well!). There is absolutely NO SMOKING of any kind at Benson Farms.  As you can probably imagine, dry corn and cigarettes really don’t make a good combination.  Also, there is to be no picking or throwing of the corn! If you are not kind to the corn, be prepared to be shown the barn door. Finally, don’t use foul language. Being lost in a corn maze for over an hour can be very frustrating, however, it is important that you keep your language clean. After all, corn has very sensitive ears. 

While getting lost between corn stalks is a lot of fun, there are many other exciting things to do at Benson Farms. Bring your family and partake in the many adventures that the farm has to offer! There are large bales of hay for children to climb on, educational farm displays, hay rides, the hay jump, corn box (think of a ball pit but filled with corn instead of balls), photo opportunity signs, a mini maze for young children, and of course, great food!

So what are you waiting for! Take advantage of the beautiful fall weather and head to Benson Farms for a maze of an adventure! Now go get lost!

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a time honored tradition, an American classic and nothing short of a great adventure! The first parade took place in the 1920s. It began as a celebration by Macy’s Department Store employees who were proud of their American heritage and wanted to celebrate! The parade has since blossomed into one of the most well known parades in the world. Each year, families flock to New York City to experience one the most magnificent parades of the year…a parade that they will most certainly never forget! 

Each year the parade begins at 9:00 AM. In order to secure a prime parade viewing location people begin lining the streets as early as 6:00 AM! The parade begins at 77^th Street and Central Park West. When the parade reaches Columbus Circle (59^th Street), it then turns on to Broadway. Heading down Broadway, the parade marches through Time Square and down to 34^th Street where it will then turn at Macy’s Herald Square and eventually, end on 7^th Avenue. 

There is seating available for viewing the Macy’s parade, unfortunately, the seating is reserved for Macy’s executives, corporate sponsors, charitable organizations and politicians. Several hotels offer a view of the parade route (the Marriott Marquis, Holiday Inn Crown Plaza, Trump International, and the Mayflower…just to name a few), however, good luck getting a room as they book up months (if not years) in advance! 

The beautiful giant balloons that are used in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade are probably the biggest attraction…especially for children! The balloons are inflated the night before the event. Inflation starts around 4:00 PM and takes place on 77^th and 81^st Streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue. Watching the balloons come to life as they are filled with helium is definitely a sight to see…an adventure in itself! The first balloon ever to fly in the parade was Felix the cat. Over the years there have been hundreds of other character balloons including Garfield, Betty Boop, Shrek, Hello Kitty, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Spiderman…just to name a few! 

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a once in a life time adventure! For those of you that would rather stay home, you can, of course, view the festivities on television. Each year, more than 40 million people tune in on Thanksgiving morning. NBC has been the official broadcaster of the parade since 1955 and it is usually hosted by members of the Today Show cast. 

Whether or not you attend the parade in person or watch from the comfort of your living room, one thing is certain. The parade, to many families, has become a yearly Thanksgiving tradition. After all, there is nothing like family, turkey, pumpkin pie and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade!! Happy Thanksgiving! And here’s to another great adventure! Gobble Gobble!